


A Very Black Funeral

by AyashiTetsuko132



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Funeral
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22613116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyashiTetsuko132/pseuds/AyashiTetsuko132
Summary: Where Tonks met her mother’s side of the family for the very first time
Relationships: Andromeda Black Tonks x Ted Tonks, Remus Lupin x Nymphadora Tonks
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	A Very Black Funeral

**Author's Note:**

> I gifted this story the everyone who had read my Remadora Muggle AU series and gave their generous kudos and comments. 
> 
> It's standalone but works well if you have read Q&A: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18221891

“Your grandfather has died.”

It was the first thing Andromeda Black Tonks said when she walked into her daughter’s flat in the middle of the night. 

As a response, the young woman's flatmates all gasped in unison. But Nymphadora Tonks herself could only blink rapidly, staring in puzzlement.

“I had a grandfather?”

Because the one that she knew could not possibly die twice. 

“My father, to be precise,” Andromeda replied, taking off her coat. “The one I had not talked to in years.”

A moment of silence passed between the mother and daughter pair as they stood in the hallway, staring at each other and drawing a deep breath. Tonks was unable to decipher how Andromeda felt about the news, as her expression remained stern as always. No tears or anything. But it seemed like the only natural thing to do was to give her a hug.

“I’m so sorry, Mum.” 

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Andromeda whispered, tapping her daughter’s back softly.

Not wanting to be rude, Tonks’s flatmates averted their gaze to give the family a moment of privacy. Besides, the television was on and they were about to find out who is going to be killed in this episode. 

But their gaze went back to the mother-daughter pair when they noticed hurried movements, complete with the sound of Tonks protesting something.

“I can’t just go to the country! I have to go to work tomorrow! And the band rehearsal the next day!"

“Tell them somebody died.” Andromeda shrugged, her high-heeled shoes made noises as she walked towards her daughter’s room. But before she got to make an entry, she waved her hands exasperatedly and shouted, “Well, somebody actually died!”

“Well … I guess I can get away with that.” Tonks scratched the back of her neck before sticking out her index finger in a protesting gesture. “But the band thing is non-negotiable. I will need to go back right away.”

“Excellent. Go pack your things,” Andromeda ordered. She opened the wardrobe inside the room and --to her daughter’s horror-- inspected its content. “Now, do you have something that is not a T-shirt or ripped?"

\--

Almost within the blink of an eye, Tonks found herself sitting on a train to the English countryside and receiving instructions from Andromeda about their arrangements. Her father was unfortunately away on a business trip, so there were only two of them to show up at the funeral. For this purpose, Andromeda had also booked a room in a nearby town.

“We’re going to share a bed! Like when I was in kindergarten!” Tonks hugged her mother cheerfully.

“Yes, when you were a sweet little girl,” Andromeda muttered, checking the booking for the inn. Tonks immediately let go of her. “Hm. I’ll change that. You had never been sweet. Always a firecracker.”

“Mum!”

Andromeda pretended not to listen as the girl whined and turned to face the window. She put all her things inside her purse and fixed her posture. “Anyway, before we get there … I need to remind you about my family.”

Tonks stopped making sounds.

“This is going to be the first time you meet them. And I suggest not to keep your hopes high,” Andromeda said. “That way, you will not be disappointed.”

The statement led Tonks to turn and face her mother; her facial expression was a mix of concern and disbelief. “Is it really that bad?”

“Well, they …,” Andromeda folded her hands neatly on her lap. “They’re different. They’re not like your father’s.”

“Do they hate you?”

“I am not sure if hate is the right word for it.”

The younger woman supported her chin with her hands. “Will they hate me?”

“I certainly hope not, but …”

Andromeda let her words trailed off to silence. Watching her mother’s reluctance, Tonks’s mind travelled to the times in her childhood when Andromeda would talk of her family.

In retrospect, Andromeda had only ever mentioned the Black family twice. First, when Tonks was in the first year of primary school and learned about the concept of family. She asked if her father had any siblings; Andromeda answered by naming all of his brothers and sisters.

Tonks then asked if Andromeda had any. She said yes, but they lived far away.

The young woman would only learn their names when she was twelve and Andromeda told her how she and her father met. She began by talking about the house she grew up in; the property was so massive that a young man named Ted Tonks once thought he was hiking in a national park. 

He almost lost his life because of it. The Black family hated trespassers --it was also fox hunting season.

Andromeda had to keep her relationship with Ted a secret. She knew that her family would never be able to accept him. On the other hand, she was also not going to leave Ted because of that. At the risk of being estranged from them, the woman eventually left for London to start a new life with him.

The Black family did not take that very kindly.

“Which is why, Dora, I need you to be on your best behaviour.”

\--

After a short argument, Tonks agreed to accept her mother’s definition of what a “best behaviour” supposed to look like. Soon after, the pair arrived in a small town where they immediately checked in to their room, took a shower, and departed to the Black family estate.

Sitting in the taxi, Tonks was grateful that Andromeda did not force her to wear anything too hideous. She still looked very much like herself in this long-sleeved, little black dress, and she honestly thought the white-collar looks cute. She had to wear black stockings to cover the gigantic jackrabbit tattoo on her thigh, but the good thing was that she got to use her Doc Mart boots (“It’s leather. The only other option is a Converse”). 

The only things that she did not get to negotiate were her spiky, bright pink hair (which she had to comb neatly) and her piercings (which she had to take off, leaving only two small, funeral-appropriate earrings).

Sitting beside her mother, with her pillbox hat and sensible dress, they could not be any more different.

After a short journey, the taxi stopped in front of a wrought-iron gate with a large letter B carved on it. The walls adjacent to the gate were quite high, and Tonks could see nothing but trees behind it.

Andromeda huffed at the sight of the gate. “Behold! My childhood home.”

As if her words were a password, the gate slowly swung open. The taxi continued its journey inside the property, moving along a gravel path with trees surrounding it.

At this point, Tonks had both of her hands on the window of the taxi, as if she were a child going to the zoo for the first time. “Mum, this isn’t even a garden. It’s a forest! You have a forest in your home!”

Andromeda chuckled. “My nanny used to make up stories about witches there. She said, if we run in the corridor, or laugh too loudly, we would be kidnapped and eaten alive.”

“Said nothing about eloping, though,” she added under her breath.

The next moment, Tonks noticed the presence of another vehicle but theirs, stopping as if it was on a queue line. Soon after, another vehicle showed up and stopped behind them. Their number continued to add up but Tonks realised that they all had one thing in common: Her father could only afford them after decades of hard work and investment --while these people might be born on it.

The young woman continued to have her jaw dropped as the taxi moved out of the woods into a well-kept garden, with bronze statues and beds of flowers dotting the space. Turned out the congestion was caused by cars stopping in front of the house, waiting for their passengers to get off and take the grand staircase leading to the door.

“Stop acting as if you have never seen a house,” Andromeda warned Tonks when they got off the taxi.

“Mum, if this were a house, then ours is a bloody phone booth!”

“Let us hope my family would never hear that.”

The mother-daughter pair moved to climb the grand staircase. Once they arrived at the top, they were greeted by a lady who seemed to be welcoming all the guests as a host.

She was beautiful and patrician, with a flowing long black dress and simple (but expensive) strings of pearls on her neck. Her blonde hair was so well-taken care of; Tonks was quite sure she did not style it by herself. But judging from the way she carried herself, Tonks knew that she must be an exhausting person to deal with. 

She also knew that the lady was her mother’s younger sister.

“Cissy.”

“Andy.”

Tonks was just going to say “Dora” as nobody seemed to care about addressing her. But, you know. Best behaviour. So she stood and watched her mother kiss Narcissa Black Malfoy’s cheek, both looking like they just wanted to flee from location.

“I am sorry about our father.”

“Thank you.”

“And this is Dora.”

Finally, her turn. “Hello, Aunt Cissy.”

“Dora. You have grown up,” Narcissa said curtly. But Tonks could have sworn she added under her breath, “But don’t you ever dare to say hello to me in public places.” 

“Um … yeah.”

Her mother nudged. This is going to be a long day.

\--

As soon as they were inside, Tonks and Andromeda had to stop every few minutes to greet relatives and acquaintances. 

All of them commented about how long it had been since they last saw Andromeda. Their tone was friendly, but Tonks suspected it was a subtle way to say that her mother was not supposed to be in that place. 

It also baffled Tonks how old these people were. The only young person she talked to was a very pale teenager whom she was introduced to as her cousin. But the moment he opened his mouth, Tonks felt like shoving him into a pond (“Oh, you play the drums? I have never heard of a woman drummer. Is that even allowed?”).

Then there was also this lady with thick, shining hair who kept eyeing Tonks from head to toe. The lady was the only person that Andromeda did not oblige her to greet; at some point, she even pulled Tonks closer to her side when the lady got nearer.

Tonks immediately understood that she was Aunt Bella, another sister of her mother who once smacked a girl at a party for looking in the same direction as her boyfriend. Her violent tendencies made her unsafe to approach, especially with her aversion towards everything middle-class --like Ted Tonks and his daughter.

When Andromeda was busy talking to another distant relative, Tonks let her attention drifted away.

Hm, there was a buffet table at the end of the room. The food was still wrapped in plastic, indicating that they were not ready to be served just yet. 

But Tonks’s eyes widened when she noticed the man standing near the table. He seemed to be considering all the options until he decided on one particular type of sandwich, opened its plastic wrapping, and started to devour it like nobody’s business. 

Tonks giggled. That was a refreshing sight. Also, somehow, everything about the man --from his height to his hairstyle-- reminded her of Sirius Black, the musician she currently had the pleasure to work with. They were supposed to have a band rehearsal the day after tomorrow, and she had messaged him about her going to the funeral. He had not replied, but it did not seem to be a problem ...

She understood why the man felt so familiar when he turned around --and had his eyes widened at her sight.

“Tonks!?”

“Sirius!?”

They both ran to meet each other halfway; all eyes were staring in displease at the sudden ruckus. 

“What are you doing here?” Tonks shouted, but then it dawned on her. “Oh my God. OH MY GOD. You’re a Black! How come I just realised this!?”

“Wait, wait … We’re related!? But how!?” Sirius pointed at her.

“My grandfather! It’s my grandfather who died! My mother is his second daughter!”

Sirius looked as if he had reached enlightenment. “Ooooh. Andy! Oh, no wonder!” He let out a hearty laugh. “Such a small world!”

“I thought I recognised the bloke who stole the sandwich!” 

“Hey. I’m famished. Alright? If I don’t take anything, there will be two dead bodies in this place …”

“Nymphadora.”

With a jolt, Tonks turned around to find her mother towering behind her. She did not have to say a word, but Tonks knew that she had not been at her Best Behaviour.

“Yes, Mum?”

“Come. We have not seen your grandfather.”

\--

The casket at the end of the room was half-opened. When Tonks and Andromeda arrived at its front, the strong scent of lilies almost made them forget that there was a dead man inside of it. 

The first thing that Tonks noticed about her grandfather was that, even in death, the man was able to look intimidating. His suit was tidy and expensive-looking, but Tonks suspected that this was not even the best that he had among his collection. His hair was all white, but Tonks heard from her mother that it had been dark and thick --the mark of a Black descendant. He also had a strong bone structure that he passed down to his daughters. Tonks tried to imagine what he would look like with his eyes opened and Aunt Bella’s image popped in her mind. However, she had the impression that, when he spoke, he would sound more like Aunt Cissy.

Tonks was still trying to absorb everything about her grandfather, whom she had just seen for the very first time, when she noticed that Andromeda had inched closer to the casket. Her facial expression remained calm and collected. But judging from how she kept on massaging her own hands, Tonks concluded that this experience was nerve-wracking for her.

“Father. I am here.”

She seemed to struggle with her words.

“I regret that … that things happened the way it did. But I guess we are all just choosing our path,” she continued, forcing a polite smile on her face. “I am grateful that I got to see you for the last time.”

Taking care to make sure that her hair did not get in the way, Andromeda bowed down to kiss her father’s forehead. Once she was done, she hurriedly wiped her tears before it fell --and that was when Tonks realised something about her mother.

For years, Andromeda chose to remain silent about her family. Tonks had always thought of her silence as a symbol of her stubbornness, the power of her will. Her determination to make her own decision and remain consistent with it.

But that day, in front of her grandfather’s casket, Tonks understood that at times, her mother’s silence might be a symbol of her pain. She may have never regretted the path that she had chosen. But it could never stop her heart from aching. 

After all, the Black family was the one she was born into. Her root. 

This realisation made Tonks feel a bit scared. One day, will she ever go down the same route? Making that difficult decision? Living in pain and loneliness as a consequence of her freedom to make a choice?

Strange, but a certain figure appeared in her mind … 

“Your turn, Dora.”

“Eh?” Tonks feared that she knew what her mother was talking about.

“Say goodbye to your grandfather. And kiss him. This is your only chance.”

She was just going to protest about kissing the dead body of an old man she never knew, but then Tonks noticed the seriousness in her mother’s eyes. 

This was important for her. 

“Right. Uh …” Tonks slid herself closer to her grandfather’s head. “Hello. It’s Dora, your … grandchild. I hope you rest in peace."

Tonks lowered herself to give her grandfather a little kiss. From this distance, the scent of lilies was even more powerful. Perhaps, in addition to the real flowers, the undertaker also added perfume to cover up whatever chemical they used to preserve her grandfather’s body. 

Instead of soothing, the fragrance made Tonks feel suffocated, and it was not long until she felt it tickling her nose and turning her eyes watery.

The next thing she knew was that her eyes instinctively closed before she let out a huge, angry sneeze on her late grandfather’s face.

  
  


\--

“There you are!”

Sirius threw his arms wide when he found his cousin behind a large bronze statue in the estate's vast backyard, completely hidden from the hustle and bustle of the funeral.

As soon as the person lying inside the casket had been restored to normal condition, Tonks practically disappeared from sight. Sirius had to walk around the property for almost an hour before he could finally find her, crouching at the feet of the statue. Her face was completely covered but it was obvious that she had been crying.

“Go away."

But instead of leaving, the man sat down and made himself comfortable beside her. "Look, it's an accident. Could happen to anyone."

When Tonks lifted her head, Sirius had to hold his laughter as he noticed that her nose was as pink as her hair. 

"Have you ever sneezed on your late grandfather’s face?"

"No." 

"Do you know anyone who had?"

"Um. No."

"See! It only happens to me!”

Wailing like a child, Tonks hid her face between her knees again. “Why am I so clumsy!?"

Sirius could only sigh and stare as Tonks continued to lament about being a horrible human being. First time she met her late grandfather and she disrespected his dead body like that. But after a minute, the man tapped her shoulder and asked her to stop. "Come on. It's not good to hate yourself like that."

"As if they don't hate us enough …”

"Well, I don't hate you."

"You're different."

"And I know one person who certainly wouldn't."

"Eh?"

Tonks lifted her head again. Her cheeks were wet with tears; she even had to wipe her nose with the back of her hand. But judging from how she looked at Sirius, the man had definitely stolen her attention.

“Right? Hehe. Come on, let’s talk about happy things."

Arching his eyebrows flirtatiously, he took out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket and offered them to Tonks. The young woman did not say anything again until Sirius finished helping her light the cigarette.

“Who are you talking about?” She rubbed her eyes exhaustedly as she waited for his reply.

“Stop playing dumb. You know who I'm talking about!” Sirius took a long drag of his cigarette. He arched his eyebrows as his eyes glinted in excitement, waiting for his cousin’s reply.

Meanwhile, Tonks felt a fresh, heated sensation on her face that had nothing to do with guilt. “W-What about him?”

“Say … What if he asks you out?”

“What makes you think he’s going to ask me out?”

“Think!? I don’t  _ think _ , cousin. I  _ know _ .” 

Gasping, Tonks felt her heartbeat as fast as when she realised that her grandfather’s face was covered in her snot. Her mind rushed to all the time she spent with the subject of their conversation. 

In her silence, she found herself contemplating her feelings for him.

At first, she thought she was simply impressed by his wit and wisdom. Also, there was the fact that she basically spent her teenagehood listening to the music that he, Sirius, and the late James Potter had made as British rock legend The Marauders. So she was both elated and humbled to be able to jam with both of them.

But then Tonks found herself daydreaming at rehearsal, watching him from her place behind the drumset. How would it feel to run her fingers through his soft brown hair? 

It reached a point where she would hide under the blanket, and imagine having his skilful fingers on her bare skin. To hear him whisper her name and other things that they would not share with the world.

“I … I …”

Sirius was about to take another drag of his cigarette but stopped midway. “Wait … No, don’t tell me. Have you two …! Am I missing something?”

“No, no! I mean, no, we haven’t … I mean …,” Tonks stuttered, swinging her cigarette madly. “I mean, yes, I do like him. Like, like that. You know. More than friends.”

There goes her secret.

Sirius’s smile grew as he nodded slowly. “I can’t wait until he finds out about this.”

“You’re not gonna …!”

Sirius made a move as if he was zipping his mouth shut. “You’re all adults. I’m just going to sit here and watch.” 

“Not when you two are shagging, of course,” he hurriedly added. “Oh, God. Please find a room. I’m happy for you, but not that happy.”

Tonks went back into the deep corners of her mind again.

This time, it showed her a memory of that one time when she just arrived at the studio and found him sitting on a chair, completely absorbed by the works that he was doing with his bass. He had his headphones on, so he should not be able to listen to her walking in.

But apparently she had been staring at him so longingly that he lifted his head, turned his chair around, and gave her the most welcoming --and charming-- smile she had ever seen.

Thinking of that smile had moved her to throw her cigarette to the ground, step on it, and stood up. “Okay, I’ve made up my mind.”

“Wow. Love what you did to your grandfather's marble.”

“If he asks me out, then I’m going to say yes.” Tonks balled her hands into fists, completely ignoring the marble. “If he doesn’t, well … I'll ask him out! This is the 21st century." 

“That’s the spirit."

Tonks crouched, trying to get to Sirius's eye level. Clasping her hands on her chest, she looked pretty much like teenagers when they got to meet their favourite actor. "He's … He's such a great person with a big heart and he had gone through so much. Right? I … I just want to make him happy."

Sirius nodded in agreement, clapping his hands slowly. "Good. Now come here. Let me tell you things about him …"

But before he could say anything, a scream intervened in their conversation.

“Nymphadora Tonks!!”

Both Sirius and Tonks rushed to peek from behind the statue, and they gasped in unison when they found Andromeda standing on top of the staircase that leads to the house. The way she stood up was very unladylike, with her legs wide open and her face looking like she just ran a marathon in her high heels. Even her pillbox hat was slightly lopsided.

It did not take a genius to know that Tonks was in very, very serious trouble.

“Oh, fuck.”

“That’s your Mum.”  
  


“And she calls me by my full name.”

Leaving the statue and her cousin behind, Tonks knew that there was no avoiding her mother’s wrath anymore. So she dashed off towards her mother’s direction, skipping at least one step as she went through the staircase. 

“That’s it. We’re going back to London now," Andromeda greeted her as soon as Tonks arrived in front of her. The woman snatched her daughter's hand and pulled her towards the house.

“Oh, we’re … we’re not going to the cemetery?”

Andromeda did not give any answer. Instead, she pushed the door open and would only stop walking when her sister Narcissa --and what seemed to be the rest of the Black clan-- blocked her way, preventing them from going any further.

“I will not spend another minute with these people. Not another!” Andromeda declared.

Tonks's gaze went from her mother to her family to her mother again.  She found it hard to believe, but it seemed like her mother's anger was not directed towards her.

"We have to delay the ceremony because the undertaker had to clean father's body," Narcissa began, taking a step forward to speak. "Funny you should be so angry when it is you and your daughter that is supposed to be responsible for this.”

Tonks held her breath.

Andromeda waved her free hand angrily. "Oh, for heaven's sake! Stop talking as if you never sneezed!"

"My daughter will not be held responsible for something beyond her control," she added, tightening her grip on her daughter’s hand.

Narcissa herself looked as if she was going to say something, but a voice stopped her. "Let her be, Cissy."

All heads turned towards the person standing behind Narcissa's back. She had been hidden among the crowd, watching and waiting for her time to intervene. But when she finally decided that it has arrived, the crowd parted as if they were allowing the queen to pass.

The sun had not set yet but Bellatrix already had a glass of champagne in her hand. Though her steps were wobbly, her eyes were fixated at Tonks and Andromeda --as if she were a hungry lioness.

Tonks was reminded of the poor girl in the party who happened to look in the same direction as Bellatrix's boyfriend.

"Let her be, Cissy," she repeated. "Our sister had made her choice long ago. You know what they say about choices and personalities."

She winked at Andromeda as if it was funny.

Andromeda herself had no change in mind. “Then do not make me say it here, Bella. About you and your choices. Things you did behind your husband’s back …”

"Mum?" Tonks whispered urgently.

Her mother lifted a hand, preventing Tonks from saying or doing anything, as they all heard Bellatrix’s voice rose. 

"You … you dare to threaten me?” She totally did not see that coming. “A lowly middle-class woman like you!? You can't even afford your own …"

But her words were cut short --and the crowd gasped-- when Tonks made a sharp move towards her aunt with her index finger pointing at her chest.  "Don't you dare …"

"Dora!"

"One more word about my mother …"

The crowd gasped again.

"And I swear …"

"Dora! Stop!"

"Oh, look at this! Now her daughter!" Bellatrix laughed, swinging her champagne flute dangerously. "Guess where she got that from! Like mother, like daughter!"

She continued on laughing until her gaze stopped at Tonks, and she raised her hand …

"But don't you dare, you little …"

There was another gasp as Bellatrix swung her champagne flute towards Tonks. The crowd expected scream and the sound of breaking glass. But there was only silence --followed by Bellatrix's surprised gasp.

The champagne inside the flute trickled down the carpeted floor as Sirius tightened his grip on Bellatrix’s hand.

"Swinging a glass towards your niece's face … that says more about your personality,” he said. 

With an unrelenting sense of calm, he kept on holding the woman's hand, gently pushing them away. He would only release it when he was certain that Bellatrix would not proceed with her attack. In fact, the woman snatched her hand away from Sirius and took a few steps back.

Fixing his suit, the man kept on watching her as he walked back towards Andromeda and Tonks. But before he said anything to the mother and daughter pair, he took a long, hard look at the rest of his family.

"And the fact that you all chose to let that happen …” He lifted a finger. "... Says a lot about how we are as a family."

“Sirius …”

His smile appeared for the first time when he addressed Andromeda. “Hello! Long time no see. My car is just outside. Let me take you back to the hotel.”

“But … there’s no need …”

“Sssh! My treat. Come on. I agree with you. Let’s not spend another minute in this place.”

The three of them walked away amidst the stunned silence of the crowd.

It was the first --and last time-- Tonks spent time in the house of the Black family.

\--

**END**

  
  



End file.
